Melbourne label Smile and Wave on carving out space in the male-dominated skate industry
Words by Eloise Dalais
“The skateboard world for decades has been dominated by men. And as you can imagine it’s hard being a woman trying to make some space for yourself.”
The skateboarding world has long been dominated by men, so launching a skate-centric fashion label as a woman presents an added layer of challenges. This is something Melbourne designer Sam Chin knows all too well. After graduating from RMIT University, she was working at a skate shop when she decided to launch her own skate label, Smile and Wave.
The unisex label is heavily influenced by her Chinese heritage, and her goal is to create genderless clothing that can fit a range of bodies. An avid fashion lover from a young age, her eye-catching streetwear, which is stocked in stores like Fast Times and Hemley Skateboarding, has found a growing customer base.
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The label’s latest range, Collection Two 2023, features slouchy embroidered sweatshirts, earth-toned tees and knit vests, ideal for layering or wearing alone. Below, Sam speaks to us about the challenges of starting a skate brand as a woman and shares how creating her label helped her overcome cultural embarrassment.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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I’m Sam and I started a little label called Smile and Wave a few years back. Growing up, I was lucky enough to have an okay artistic side, which meant I had lots of creative endeavours going on. I loved making clothes and selling things to make some extra cash. I was around when the eBay world was starting out so somehow ended up selling Nixon watches and bootleg Versace T-shirts online to make some pretty good pocket money.
An early lesson in retail and eCommerce, I guess, until one day customs confiscated all my fake Versaces. Gutted, but we move on. I moved down from Sydney to Melbourne after school and went to RMIT University in Brunswick and studied fashion. It was a really good insight into all the technical aspects, like fabric construction and pattern making. I like knowing how a garment is put together and all its mechanics.
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How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
Smile and Wave started about six years ago while I was working at a skate shop in the city. I had a bit of a creative overflow, and I needed an organised outlet to put all those ideas in and so along came Smile and Wave. I was really lucky that Fast Times, where I worked, supported me from the get-go and kickstarted things with a little order.
Now they’re my biggest stockist and it’s really nice to reflect on that journey and to think of where I can take it from here. It made me realise the steps towards a dream are actually possible and it makes me really happy. At the same time, the joy of stocking at a skateboard store has also brought its challenges. The skateboard world for decades has been dominated by men. And as you can imagine it’s hard being a woman trying to make some space for yourself in this territory.
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It can get me down – sometimes I feel like a quiet voice in a noisy room, but I try and use it as motivation for Smile and Wave to succeed. To alter the environment and maybe make it an easier world for the girls coming after me. But in saying all that, the industry is slowly progressing and has had a lot of positive people of all genders trying to make it more inclusive.
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
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Starting out it was just some clothes where I could show off my designs. I wanted a space where everyone could be involved and feel comfortable being associated with the brand. It’s been really lovely seeing it grow and reach a wider audience and see the original plan unfold. I’d like to use our voice now to make more of a social impact and have a bit more purpose than being just another clothing label.
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
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I’ve been feeling pretty proud about bringing Chinese aesthetics and design to light in Australian fashion. Growing up in Australia it wasn’t cool to be Asian. I felt different and embarrassingly ashamed of my culture. I went through so many journeys with my identity and I’m at a place now in my thirties where I’m not scared to be proud of my culture.
I’ve been able to harness this energy and showcase it in Smile and Wave designs and see them actually sell. And sell well. Which shows me we’re slowly changing as a society. And being able to bring this Asian vibe to the front of the stage is something I’m pretty chuffed about, to be honest.
Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
I’m really liking Jungles Jungles. They’ve figured out who they are and have all the tools and designs to go large.
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What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?
We need to grow. There needs to be more manufacturers and better systems in place to make it more sustainable and competitive to overseas manufacturing. I’d love to have more products made in Australia, but in full transparency, I can’t access the right materials and afford to keep my prices competitive in the category I’m in.
My solution right now is to get small runs of styles made here and price them a little bit higher. To be honest it’s not really good enough from us and it’s something I want the brand to be able to build on, having more Australian-made products.
Dream Australian collaborators?
I love everything Shaun and the team at House of Darwin are doing. I feel like our labels have similar objectives with highlighting our culture and I think we’d put on a pretty good show if we linked up.
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Who is in your wardrobe right now?
Besides all the Smile and Wave that I don’t really need but take home with me anyway, I have a few bits from my friend Erik Yvon. Erik brings some colour to this world, and I love it.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
You can hit up our web store at smileandwaveonline.com and follow us on socials to see when collections are dropping. Otherwise, you can head into one of our stockists like Fast Times or Hemley Skateboarding to try them on. The full stockist list is on the website.
Browse the Smile and Wave range here.
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